Religious Roots
When the Moravians first settled Salem in 1766, the Church was the center of all town activity. At first it welcomed all people, including Salem’s enslaved population, and led the community in its expansion over the course of many years. However, Salem slowly became a product of the South, and found a dependency on slave labor that caused tension between church beliefs and secular action, and many wondered about the fate of both the church and the futures of its members.
By the early part of the nineteenth century, a divide emerged between the black and white residents, and in 1816, Church members were segregated, with enslaved brothers and sisters no longer welcome in Home Church. In 1823 a log church was built for the enslaved Moravians. However, the changes in the church, the split opinion over slavery, and the desire to have more freedom away the watchful eye of church elders led many to other small congregations.
At beginning of the Civil War, Presbyterian and Methodist churches attracted new members as they offered equality for all members and the freedom to live private lives. The citizens of Salem and Winston had the freedom to explore many types of worship, each unique in their own ways; each with an important role to play.
Throughout this section you will hear Salem's Tannenberg Organ, the oldest in the nation, located in the Home Church. Also playing is "Roll, Jordan, Roll" from the film 12 Years a Slave.